Michigan Roster Includes 9 Massachusetts Players
Rod Moore #9, Kenneth Grant #78, Mike Sainristil #0, and Michael Barrett #23 of the Michigan Wolverines react to a play against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 11, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Next Monday night the NCAA College Football Championship will take place, with arguably the two best teams of the season fighting for it all, as Michigan takes on Washington. Although we New Englanders don’t necessarily have a dog in the fight, there is a local touch to keep an eye on. Top-ranked Michigan actually has nine players on their roster who are from Massachusetts. In fact, many of them played their high school ball locally here as well.
So let’s get right to it here, and introduce your 2023/2024 Massachusetts Wolverines. In number order, here we go:
- #0 Mike Sainristil, defensive back, is from Everett
- #5 Josaiah Stewart, edge rusher is from Everett (high school)
- #20 Kalel Mullings, running back is from West Roxbury
- #42 TJ Guy, edge rusher is from Mansfied
- #51 Greg Crippen, offensive lineman is from Northborough
- #65 Zak Zinter, offensive lineman is from North Andover
- #80 Eamonn Dennis, wide receiver is from Worcester
- #81 Peyton O’Leary, wide receiver is from Byfield
- #92 Stone Anderson, kicker/punter is from Deerfield
Other Notable Connections
The Michigan roster also includes five players from Connecticut. Furthermore, it’s a team that attracts talent from all over the world. That includes Marlin Klein from Germany and Aymeric Koumba from France.
The Wolverines’ opponent is not to be forgotten here. Although Seattle, Washington, is on the opposite coast of the country there is some Baystate pride on the Huskies roster as well. #41 Lance Holtzclaw is from Dorchester.
The big game kicks off at 7:30 pm on Monday, January 9th at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. It airs on ESPN. In addition to this college football championship featuring two undefeated teams and some of the best players in the game this year, (Michael Penix Jr. Washington, J.J. McCarthy, Michigan), we also have ten local Massachusetts players to cheer for.
Oddly enough, the two teams that did not make the championship, Alabama and Texas, do not have any Massachusetts players on their rosters. Therefore, the matchup we got has the most local presence possible.
3 Potential NFL Draft Destinations For UNC's Drake Maye
On Wednesday, December 27, North Carolina will play their last game of the season in Charlotte (Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. West Virginia). With Drake Maye being one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, it’s time to take a look at three potential landing destinations for the star quarterback.
UNC is coming off a 8-4 record this season. Although his statistics were not as high as last year, Maye still had an incredible year, throwing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns. At just 21 years old, Maye is the ideal size for a NFL quarterback, standing 6 foot 4.
2024 Draft Class
Many of the top players have still to officially declare for the draft. Yet, the expectation is that all the names we are seeing atop the mock draft boards will be moving up to the next level. There have been eyes on this year’s class for a few years now. That’s largely due to the generational quarterback pool.
USC’s Caleb Williams is a safe assumption to be the first overall pick. That’s where things can get tricky. The Carolina Panthers currently have the worst record at 1-11. However, due to last year’s trade, the Chicago Bears own their pick. Do the Bears need or want a QB? They just drafted Justin Fields. Of course, we still have the NFL combine, player pro days, and team meetings ahead of us. Much can change in that time. Still, I believe Maye will be the next quarterback taken after Williams.
To further emphasize how deep (and potentially special) this class is, three of the four Heisman Trophy finalists this season are quarterbacks. None of them are named Caleb Williams or Drake Maye (Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr.)
Come April, we can see as many as 10 NFL teams in need of a new quarterback. Here are three NFL teams that have a good probability of selecting in the top five picks of the NFL draft, where Drake Maye will likely be taken.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.